# Do you tan fastest at the beach? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709 "2008-06-21T18:53:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vintageloveletter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@vintageloveletter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vintageloveletter)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/1 "2008-06-21T18:53:12Z")
Last night I had a discussion with two friends about tanning. They are both tanning addicts who agree that you tan faster at the beach than laying out in the backyard or somewhere similar. I asked one friend why she thought this and she said it was something that everyone just knows. Now, I know that reflective surfaces like water or snow increases the amount of UV radiation to which the skin is exposed. However, I thought you had to be in, on top, or at least in very close proximity to the reflective surface for this to happen. So, if the weather conditions are the same for both the beach and my (pool-free) backyard, will I tan faster at the beach? How close to the water do I have to be to receive the effects of heightened skin damage? Must I be right next to the shoreline, or can I set down my chair and cooler 50 ft. away from the water? Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/2 "2008-06-21T19:57:50Z")
No you will not tan faster at the beach (no cite, personal experience). If you want to tan/burn really fast stay out on a day with a light cloud cover. If you really want exposure, a light coat of some oil will help. Hydraulic oil used in heavy equipment will give you a wicked sunburn (again, no cite, personal experience). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/3 "2008-06-21T20:17:25Z")
If you want a really nasty burn/tan, bright fog is the way to go. You get it all over your exposed skin, not just on your nose/cheekbones. ---
**Author:** ![trustno\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@trustno\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trustno_1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/4 "2008-06-21T22:17:15Z")
I always think that if a person tans its down to that persons type of skin. Living in Scotland the opportunity for tanning does not arise too often. When I went to Tanzania on a world challenge I did not tan whatsoever in the entire time I was there, I did however manage to badly burn myself in my last week _sigh_ Of course Im sure that cleasing your skin before and applying tanning oil may help but just remember too much sun is bad for ya! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/5 "2008-06-21T22:34:10Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] If you want a really nasty burn/tan, bright fog is the way to go. You get it all over your exposed skin, not just on your nose/cheekbones. [/QUOTE] Don’t know about fog, but altitude is the killer. I’m at 11,2. I got a summers worth of tan today in about 2 hours. Not intentionaly ‘tanning’. Just outside working on the house. (I remembered to wear my big straw cowboy hat at least). I roofed my house 12 years ago. I had my shirt off for a while. It was bad news. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/6 "2008-06-21T22:53:33Z")
[Measurements of ultraviolet reflection on coastal sand](http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=/iel2/2951/8343/00364132.pdf?tp=&isnumber=&arnumber=364132) > [@](#): > > Summary:The effects of ultraviolet radiation are greater in the coastal zone than in inland areas, due to reflection of sunlight from sand and the sea surface. These effects may be linked to erythema, melanization, etc. Detailed quantitative research on such basic aspects as the amount of UV reflected off a sand beach is still lacking. This report hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the intensity and distribution of UV radiation in a typical shoreline environment. The following aspects are researched and analyzed: … This is from 94, so there’s probably more data available now. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/7 "2008-06-21T23:57:42Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] [Measurements of ultraviolet reflection on coastal sand](http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=/iel2/2951/8343/00364132.pdf?tp=&isnumber=&arnumber=364132) This is from 94, so there’s probably more data available now. [/QUOTE] Thanks, I was just about to ask “isn’t sand a reflective surface?” and you’ve provided data that it is. People certainly seem to burn faster while at the beach, which is why I assumed sand is reflective. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/8 "2008-06-22T01:36:16Z")
Now, if you want to _really_ tan, climb a snow-covered mountain in shorts and a T-shirt. I did that last weekend (yes, it was actually warm enough, despite the snow), and burned slightly even through SPF 30, an existing tan, and a not-all-that-fair base complexion. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/9 "2008-06-22T02:36:34Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] Now, if you want to _really_ tan, climb a snow-covered mountain in shorts and a T-shirt. I did that last weekend (yes, it was actually warm enough, despite the snow), and burned slightly even through SPF 30, an existing tan, and a not-all-that-fair base complexion. [/QUOTE] No kidding. Snow definitely reflects the sun. I got the worst sunburn of my life while hiking on a glacier. ---
**Author:** ![vintageloveletter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@vintageloveletter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vintageloveletter)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/10 "2008-06-23T01:42:08Z")
Thanks a lot, Squint. I was looking for some sort of cite, but my google-fu was weak. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/11 "2008-06-23T01:52:56Z")
[QUOTE=hlanelee] If you want to tan/burn really fast stay out on a day with a light cloud cover. [/QUOTE] How does that work? Aren’t the clouds reflecting at least some of the radiation that otherwise would be reaching the ground? ---
**Author:** ![PJThompson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e480ec/32.png) [@PJThompson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PJThompson)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/12 "2008-06-23T02:56:01Z")
I agree with the beach and pool tanning you faster. Which is funny, because my husband and i had this discussion Sat. at the pool. I was throwing out misc. tanning “facts” and asked how I “knew” and I replied that “I just know-there are tanning rules everyone knows”. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/13 "2008-06-23T03:12:47Z")
[QUOTE=trustno\_1] When I went to Tanzania on a world challenge I did not tan whatsoever in the entire time I was there, I did however manage to badly burn myself in my last week _sigh_ [/QUOTE] Maybe they should change the name to Burnzania. ---
**Author:** ![FestiveHarpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9a140/32.png) [@FestiveHarpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FestiveHarpy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/14 "2008-06-23T06:13:47Z")
[QUOTE=trustno\_1] I always think that if a person tans its down to that persons type of skin. Living in Scotland the opportunity for tanning does not arise too often. When I went to Tanzania on a world challenge I did not tan whatsoever in the entire time I was there, I did however manage to badly burn myself in my last week _sigh_ Of course Im sure that cleasing your skin before and applying tanning oil may help but just remember too much sun is bad for ya! [/QUOTE] I also went on a world challenge to Tanzania, where one of the members of our group, from Scotland, who hadn’t tanned for the first few weeks of the trip, got a really bad sunburn during the last week. So either I was on the trip with you, or traveling to Tanzania and getting badly burned is a fairly common occurrence for people from Scotland. Did it happen to be during the summer of 2003? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/15 "2008-06-23T12:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] How does that work? Aren’t the clouds reflecting at least some of the radiation that otherwise would be reaching the ground? [/QUOTE] Yes, but I also tend to get burnt more on days that are lightly overcast. The reason is that because it is not sunny, you don’t feel the sun on your skin so you don’t feel like you’re getting burnt, so you don’t cover up, seek shade, use suncream etc - plus, as it’s usually not so hot, you often stay outside for longer. As others have said, though, for real sunburn you can’t beat snow-covered mountains. A sunny spring skiing day at 10,000ft in the Alps will burn exposed skin in no time. And, since you’ll probably be wearing goggles, you’ll have a ridiculous red and white panda face to boot. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/16 "2008-06-23T16:40:13Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] … because it is not sunny, you don’t feel the sun on your skin so you don’t feel like you’re getting burnt, so you don’t cover up, seek shade, use suncream etc - plus, as it’s usually not so hot, you often stay outside for longer. [/QUOTE] This makes perfect sense. What’s hard to accept is the notion that an overcast sky makes you burn more quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/17 "2008-06-23T17:28:24Z")
Sand definitely reflects UV. I worked on a beach for a summer, and spent two hours each day (8am - 9am, and 4pm - 5pm) out in the sun, with the rest of the time spent under an umbrella, and in the shade of a storage shed. By the end of the first week, despite wearing SPF 48 sunscreen, I had an even all-over tan. I was a good hundred yards from the water, and my view of the water was blocked by low dunes, beachgoers, and their chairs and umbrellas. On the other hand the sand was hot enough to scald the bottoms of my feet, and so bright from reflected sun that I had to wear sunglasses even in the shade of my umbrella. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/18 "2008-06-23T20:09:16Z")
[QUOTE=enipla] Don’t know about fog, but altitude is the killer. I’m at 11,2. I got a summers worth of tan today in about 2 hours. Not intentionaly ‘tanning’. Just outside working on the house. (I remembered to wear my big straw cowboy hat at least). I roofed my house 12 years ago. I had my shirt off for a while. It was bad news. [/QUOTE] Roofing? Altitude is the killer! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/19 "2008-06-23T20:52:32Z")
[QUOTE=hlanelee] If you really want exposure, a light coat of some oil will help. Hydraulic oil used in heavy equipment will give you a wicked sunburn (again, no cite, personal experience). [/QUOTE] Related to the question of “cloud cover increasing exposure”, how does oils of any kind increase susceptibility to burn/tan? (My mom had the same experience with baby oil.) Certainly it can’t work by reflecting rays that humans might reflect, as it would certainly reflect just as many incoming rays as outgoing (just like the problem with cloud cover.) Could it be that applying oil creates a reaction in your skin that makes your body more likely to undergo a tan/burn reaction? Or possibly there’s something in the oil that downgrades/upgrades some light rays to the proper spectrum for tan/burns? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tan-fastest-at-the-beach/453709/20 "2008-06-23T22:08:15Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] Could it be that applying oil creates a reaction in your skin… [/QUOTE] I expect that an oil applied to the skin has the same effect on dead/dry skin cells that it has when applied to a piece of paper: it renders the material more transparent.